House Passes ABC-Supported Regulatory Reform Bills

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two ABC-supported regulatory reform bills with bipartisan support. The Achieving Less Excess in Regulation and Requiring Transparency (ALERRT) Act (H.R. 2804) passed the House on Feb. 27 by a vote of 236-179 and the Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development” (RAPID) Act (H.R. 2641) passed the House on March 6 by a vote of 229-179.

ABC sent letters to Members of the House before both votes supporting the legislation.

The ALERRT Act was introduced by Rep. George Holding (R-NC) and is a comprehensive regulatory reform bill that would implement more checks and additional oversight on federal agencies throughout the rulemaking process. The bill would require agencies to better analyze the economic burdens of proposed regulation before it is finalized and would require more transparency from agencies in the rulemaking process.

“For our industry, excessive regulations translate into higher costs, some of which must be passed along to the consumer,” ABC said in its letter supporting the ALERRT Act. “Ultimately, these costs impact our industry’s recovery and our businesses’ ability to expand and hire more workers. It is particularly alarming that small businesses, which comprise the vast majority of the construction industry, are disproportionately affected by the administration’s irresponsible approach to regulation.”

The RAPID Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA), would increase efficiency by setting new deadlines for agency regulators to complete the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Assessment (EA) review process and would increase transparency by reducing the time outside groups may issue legal challenges.

“Hundreds of major federal projects have been unnecessarily delayed or abandoned, resulting in millions of jobs being deferred or never created because of a dysfunctional permitting system,” ABC said in its RAPID Act letter. “This legislation would provide a streamlined process for developers to obtain environmental permits and approvals for their projects in a timely and efficient manner, fostering job creation and economic growth in the process.”

ABC supports both pieces of legislation because they will help alleviate regulatory burdens on businesses, providing them with more certainty and allowing them to spend more time focused on their business and less time complying with government red tape.

Both bills now await action in the U.S. Senate. To read the letters ABC sent to Members of Congress click the links below:ALERRT ActRAPID Act